Social networking services allow users to establish social networks among real life friends, colleagues, or acquaintances or other users who share experiences, interests, and activities. Traditional social networking services often provide a means for users to interact over a network (e.g., the Internet), such as email or instant messaging. Social networking services also often provide a means for users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, and interests with other members of the network. This content may be created by the users themselves or in some instances the content may have been created by another.
In general, these social networks form from the bottom up on a peer to peer basis. The social network starts with users who are early adopters and then eventually the social network grows organically and spreads to a more general audience. However, some social networks are unable to form and grow through this process. For example, large corporations often struggle to build and maintain internal social networks. It is often difficult for such social networks to grow because of the diversity of the members in the network, which often leads to a lack of shared values and interests among such members.